Civil rights pioneer Ruth Anderson dies in Iowa

Ruth Anderson, an Iowa native known as a pioneer in the local civil rights movement, has died at age 91.

Sanders Funeral Services says Anderson died Tuesday at her Waterloo home of natural causes.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Anderson was a longtime community leader who taught social work at the University of Northern Iowa for 22 years. She won a legal battle during that time to be awarded tenure. It was considered a major victory for female professors at public universities in Iowa.

Anderson became the first African-American director of social services in Black Hawk County and the first African-American elected to the county's Board of Supervisors. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1982.S

Services are pending.

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